March brings without warning a little bit of busyness back to our slow winter routine. There are Girl Scout cookies to sell, field clean-up days for t-ball, and the like amid our regular weeknight routines of dinner, homework, and baths.
This week is particularly busy and includes a few nights where we have just an hour to eat together before dashing off or one or more grown-ups is out of the house for meetings. So I’m turning to the Instant Pot for four out of five dinners so that I can make dinner quickly or keep it warm for staggered meal times.
Welcome to This Week’s Meal Plan
I believe meal planning is the secret to stress-free weeknight dinners. Since I’m frequently asked by friends and family what I’m cooking for dinner each week, I share my weekly meal plan here. Whether you’re just learning to meal plan and looking for a real-life example of how this works or you’re an old pro on the hunt for inspiration, here’s a peek at how I’m feeding my family this week.
New to meal planning? Start here.
- The Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning: What to Know, How to Succeed, and What to Skip
- The Best Way to Use a Weekend for Meal Planning Success
- Ask Yourself These 5 Questions Before You Start Meal Planning
- 5 Strategies for Picking Recipes for a Week of Meal Planning
Monday: How To Make Red Beans & Rice in an Electric Pressure Cooker
One of the really nice things about red beans and rice for dinner on a Monday is that I can eat the leftovers for lunch all week long. I adjust the seasoning quite a bit for my 4-year-old and serve this with lots of hot sauce for adults.
Tuesday: Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
I’m taking the basic premise of our slow cooker salsa chicken and putting it under pressure for 8 minutes in the Instant Pot for what I’m hoping will be an easy taco night. We’ll have beans and quickly sautéed corn on on the side.
Wednesday: Pressure Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
My husband does not love to cook, but he’ll do it for these sandwiches. Ha! This quick cooking riff on an Italian beef sandwich is a favorite for the whole family and we’ll partner these sandwiches with freezer sweet potato fries for a dinner my husband will cook while I run between a dentist appointment and Girl Scouts.
Thursday: Leftovers or Breakfast
I’m leaving a blank in our meal plan this week for leftovers or a quick scramble of eggs, but I do have my eye on this easy, and so cozy Tortilla Soup that I think can be made with Tuesday’s leftovers.
Friday: Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
This quick and cozy meal is going to be perfect for a gang of first graders headed to our house for a sleepover on Friday. We’re making a snack platter of cut-up fruits and vegetables too.
Source: Read Full Article